Penholder



June 28, 1932. L. v. ARONSON 1,864,708

PENHOLDER Filed April 14, 1930 INVENTOR Louis E 14/0/250/2 ATTORNEYS Patented June 28, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOUIS V. ABONSON, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIG'NOR TO ART METAL WORKS, INC.,

A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY PENHOLDER Application filed April 14,

My invention relates to a holder for a pen, pencil or the like, hereinafter generically termed a pen.

7 My invention relates to a holder of durable construction and extreme simplicity.

Further objects, advantages and characteristics of my invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to a penholder, the combination of parts and features of construction of the character hereinafter described and claimed.

For an understanding of my invention and foran illustration of one of the forms thereof, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a penholder and an associated base as constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing some of the parts in disassociated relation; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, of the arrangement shown in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, B represents a base of any suitable character and, if de sired, it may be fashioned from sheet metal or the like, or the same may be die-cast.

Where the base B is hollow somewhat as illustrated, the top wall .thereof may be perforated for the reception of a cylinder-like member 1 having a flange 1a resting upon the top surface of the base B, a nut 2, preferably threaded eXteriorly to the member 1, coacting with said flange 1a to firmly and securely retain said member 1 on the base B.

' Above the flange 1a, the member 1 comprises a circular wall 17), preferably of progressively decreasing diameter the greater the distance from the top surface of base B, so that there is formed a socket in which is received a ball 3 having projecting therefrom a shank 4 which comprises a threaded tip 1a and an intermediate flange 4b.

The ball 3, to a desired degree, may be frictionally retained within the aforesaid pocket in any suitable manner. As herein shown, there is thus utilized a disk 5 slidable 50 within the member 1 and biased directly into 1930. Serial No. 444,116.

engagement with the ball 3 by a helical spring 6 disposed between said disk 5 and a plug 7 threaded into the member 1 to a desired extent.

As indicated at 8, a pen receiving receptacle member formed of hard rubber or any suitable molded composition, may be mounted in threaded engagement with the threaded tip 441 and with its lower end as at 9 abutting the flange portion 46. A pen or the like article as indicated at 10 may be received within the receptacle 8 through the upper open end thereof and at the same time the end of thepen may be sealed and properly supported in position by means hereinafter described, more particularly in reference to the parts shown in Fig. 2.

The outer or upper end of the member 8 may be exteriorly threaded as at 11 and provided interiorly with a substantially concentric opening or central bore 12. It will be noted that at a short distance within the opening 12, a shoulder 13 is provided and that below the shoulder 13 the central open-.

ing is gradually more restricted so as to permit the forming of the receptacle member 8 with a smooth somewhat tapered exterior, while still permitting ample space within the receptacle for the reception of the pen point and the lower portions of a pen or the like article as shown.

An annular member 14 formed of rubber or the like material is provided within the opening 12 and positioned adjacent the shoulder 13. The member 14 if desired may be formed with a substantially rectangular cross-section with the exception that the outer lower edges may be cut away as shown at 14: so as to provide an annular space between the member 14L and the shoulder 13, as indicated in Fig. 3, such space being of a substantially triangular cross-section.

A relatively thin washer member or annular ring formed of sheet metal, as at 15, may be provided with an opening alined with the aforesaid opening 12 and positioned in abutment with the annular rubber member 14. The ring 15 may be retained in this position by a ferrule member as at 16 formed of hard rubber or any suitable molded composition or metal, the member 16 in turn being retained in a position partly protruding into the opening 12, by engagement with a metal ferrule as at 17 which may be int-eriorly threaded for engagement with the threaded area 11. The member 17 may be knurled as at 18 around its exterior surfaces so that the same may be firmly grasped by the user and screwed down on to the member 8 with sufficient force to cause the members 16 and 15 to exert a substantial pressure on the rubber annular member 14.

It will be understood that the central openings through the members 15 and 16 may be of such diameters as to freely receive any pen or the like device which the user may desire to insert in the holder, the ring 15 preferably having its interior surfaces formed with smooth curves as shown, to permit the pen to be quickly inserted.

In order to give the device a finished ap pearance along the line of engagement between the members 16 and 17, the member 16 may be formed with an outwardly extending flange or beaded portion 1-9 underlying an inwardly extending flanged portion 20 on the member 17 With this construction, when the member 17 is screwed down on to the member 8, the inturned flange 20 will firmly abut against the flange 19 of the member 16 and cause the latter to exert uniform pressure against all parts around the periphery of the washer 15 and the rubber ring 14.

The rubber ring 14 may have a central opening which is normally just slightly smaller in diameter than the openings through the members 15 and 16 so that the pen or the like device will be more closely embraced by the rubber ring than by the other members. The central opening in. the rubber ring if desired may be normally substantially cylindrical or as shown, this opening may be normally somewhat restricted toward the lower side of the member.

However, the effective diameter of the opening of this member 14 may be varied within rather wide limits to render the device adjustable to accommodate pens of various differentdimensions. That is, when the rubber ring 14 is merely inserted and held in position without the application of any sub stantial pressure thereto by the members 15, 16 and 17, then the ring may conveniently serve to hold pens or the like having a diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the opening in the rubber ring at the point where the ring embraces the pen. However, if it is desired to adapt the holder to pens or the like of smaller dimensions, it is merely necessary for the user to rotate the member 17 in a direction to screw the same on to the member 8 whereby further pressure will be eX- erted on the annular rubber member 14, causing the rubber to be pressed somewhat into the annular space 14a and against the shoulder 13 in a manner whereby the inner lower edge of the rubber member as at 21 is caused to be restricted in diameter and more or less inwardly extended, an amount depending upon the force applied in turning the member 17. In this manner the opening in the member 14 may be varied to accommodate pens of various diameters or the opening may be adjusted to embrace a pen of any given diameter with more or less friction, depending upon the desires of the user. In this manner the rubber ring 14 may not only serve to closely embrace the pen and hold it in position, but the same ring may uniformly engage the pen with suflicient pressure to substantially seal the lower end of the pen against evaporation of the ink from the pen point. The receptacle 8 may thereby serve not only as a holder and protecting means for the pen point, but also may serve the function of preventing drying of the inkand the whole device is made adjustable to pens of various sizes, both in respect to the gripping and scaling functions, merely by altering the pressure applied to the single rubber member 14.

The above described rubber retaining and sealing member further cooperates with the ball and socket support for the receptacle 8 to accomplish several novel and highly advantageous results. That is, the receptacle 8 may be quickly turned on the ball and socket joint in any desired direction in the usual way, merely by grasping and moving the pen which is received therein. Yet the above described arrangement insures thatthe pen point will remain in sealed-in condition both during and after any such movement. Furthermore, inasmuch as the pen is somewhat resiliently supported in position by the rubber ring 14, any sharp or accidental blows against the pen, or quick movements thereof, will not tend to injure the pen in view of such resilient mounting which enables the pen to absorb shocks regardless of the condition or position of the ball and socket members.

It will be understood that the annular ring member 14 as held in place under pressure,

may serve to closely embrace in sealing relationship, pens and penholders not only of various dimensions but also of various shapes such as pens, the cross-sections of which are not entirely circular.

While the invention has been described with respect to a certain particular preferred example which gives satisfactory results, it will be understood by those skilled in the art after understanding the invention, that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and it is intended therefore in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A penholder comprising a receptacle, a rubber annular member for embracing the pen, and means acting on said rubber member for varying the internal diameter thereof to adjust the same to pens of various diameters.

2. In a penholder, a receptacle, a rubber annular member for embracing the pen, and means for distorting the cross-sectional shape of said member to adjust the effective internal diameter thereof to accommodate pens of various dimensions.

3. A receptacle for receiving the end of a pen, said receptacle comprising a generally cylindrical member having a central longitudinal cavity for receiving the lower end of the pen, an annular shoulder being pro vided Within said cavity, a yieldable annular member engaging said shoulder, and rotatable means accessible from the exterior of the receptacle and operatively connected to exert pressure against said yieldable memher to cause variations in the internal diameter thereof whereby said member may be made to embrace pens of various different dimensions.

4. A penholder comprising a receptacle, a rubber annular member disposed therein for axially receiving the pen, and means acting on said rubber member for varying the internal diameter thereof to adjust the same to pens of various diameters, said means com prising a sleeve threaded to said receptacle for compressing said rubber member, said sleeve. when said rubber member is in normal position, being freely adjustable in either direction axially of said receptacle.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

LOUIS V. ARONSON. 

